In this modern world of £700 consoles and iterative updates it’s easy to forget the extra expenses involved in gaming – especially when it comes to controllers. When even basic controllers cost upwards of £50 apiece, any kind of local multiplayer becomes extra expensive. Multiply those costs by the various competing consoles and you have a wallet-busting experience. Gamesir have become increasingly engaged in the console and PC accessory space in recent years and their latest controller promises to solve the dilemma of multiple expensive controllers by offering one that works across PC, Switch, and mobile gaming, at an accessible pricepoint.
Multi-format controllers are not a new idea. My 8Bit-Do Pro is my go-to for Switch and emulation but the Tarantula offers a few new tricks and has swiftly become my main choice for PC gaming. Opting for a Playstation layout with two parallel analogue sticks at the bottom of the controller, the Tarantula feels immediately familiar and comfortable in the hand. The sticks themselves are TMR (tunnelling magnetoresistance) – an even more precise magnetic system than Hall Effect – rather than the more widely used potentiometer system and feel far smoother and more responsive than the main console competitors. The huge advantage TMR has over traditional controllers is the lack of moving parts subject to drift – a factor that is a real blight on both Xbox and Playstation pads. Alongside the sticks we have a mechanical D-pad that feels satisfying to use.
The default button layout for the Tarantula echoes the Xbox standard and even shares the colour coding system. However, one of the coolest options here is the ability to switch between controller profiles and adjust the button layout accordingly. Holding the mode button and the requisite face button operates the mechanism that changes the button layout to the alternative Switch standard. This mechanism is visible through a transparent section and is the kind of satisfying design that would have Alan Partridge purring.
Other than the transparent window revealing the gears that work the switch mechanism the controller has a dark camouflage pattern that is unobtrusive if a little underwhelming. There are RGB effects across the pad as well as the illuminated button layout but the colours and brightness of these are easily adjustable if you want a plainer controller. Aside from the main face buttons there are multiple programmable buttons that by default act as Start and Select (or the system equivalent). The increased options available through these buttons are an interesting addition but I didn’t really find myself using them that much.
More useful are the programmable back buttons that are becoming a more popular choice on controllers. Even better here is the fact that you can lock them using a physical switch and prevent them from being pressed accidentally. The increased functionality on the back of the pad continues with more physical switches that can adjust the triggers to be either analogue or microswitched. This is a really nice addition as it enables the controller to be quickly altered to suit different genres with the microswitches being perfect for shooters and action games whilst analogue better suited to driving games.
The Pro version that I’ve been using also comes complete with a nifty charging stand that sits nicely on my gaming desk and keeps the pad ready for action. It can be connected via USB-C if preferred as well as offering both Bluetooth and dedicated dongle connection. I opted for the latter and have had no issues with latency or lag throughout my time using it.
So far so positive, and as mentioned earlier the Gamesir Tarantula is my new main PC controller but I did encounter some odd problems when trying it out on Switch. Initially connecting the controller didn’t work unless the Switch was in handheld mode – a weird glitch as that is not really the ideal use case for a pad. Once the connection was made however it remained connected on the Switch mode and could be used without issue. I’ve decided to carry on using my 8Bit-Do pad for Nintendo gaming but that’s more to do with my own addiction to multiple controllers than anything being particularly wrong with the Gamesir pad. The instructions link to a Gamesir app but this appeared to only be in Chinese and didn’t seem to include the pad under review at time of testing.
